PORT TOWNSEND — Two East Jefferson County school districts will present funding measures on the Feb. 10 ballot, seeking funds for renovation of school facilities and the purchase of educational materials.
The Chimacum School Board on Nov. 12 approved placing on the ballot a proposed $34.8 million general obligation bond for renovation and expansion.
On Monday night, the Port Townsend School Board approved placing a proposed replacement maintenance and operations property tax levy on the ballot to net the district $14.6 million over a four-year period.
“The school levy in the state of Washington is part of the standard operating procedure for school districts,” said Jennifer James-Wilson, Port Townsend School Board member.
“It provides about 25 percent of our budget and the reason that voters should approve it is because it’s part of our basic funding.”
Levies fund programs aside from basic education such as music, art, drama, athletics, nutrition and training that is not supported by state and federal dollars, she said.
“It’s an agreement that school districts make with voters every two or three or four or six years to try to fund the basic services they provide,” she said.
The Port Townsend levy funds would support library, curriculum development, textbooks, enrichment, facility planning and technology, the board said in its resolution.
The rate for the current levy, which will expire in 2015, is $1.56 per $1,000 of assessed value.
The new levy, if approved, would be collected beginning in 2016.
The amount of rate increase depends on property valuation but is estimated to be about 2 cents a year, according to finance manager Sarah Bonneville, which would represent an annual increase of $5 for a $250,000 home.
The Chimacum bond would fund renovation and expansion of Chimacum Creek Primary School and the district’s main campus, including the auditorium.
It also would fund construction of a new athletic complex with a stadium, field and track and support other infrastructure improvements.
If approved, the measure would impose a new tax on property owners by $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, or $375 for a $250,000 home.
Superintendent Rich Stewart said the construction of an athletic center and a renovated auditorium would “bring an economic benefit to the community” by providing a home for special events, concerts and playoffs.
Once construction starts all of the renovations and additions will take two to three years, he said.
The bond would, if passed, transform the district, according to the board’s resolution.
It would lead to renovation, construction and expansion of the Chimacum Creek Primary School with new classrooms and support spaces.
After renovation, the Chimacum Creek Primary School would serve first through fifth grades, with the middle school and high school in the Valley Road location.
Also planned is the removal of 1940s buildings and library and construction of a new middle school library resource center and centralized school administration.
The proposed upgrade of sports facilities would include an all-weather field, concessions, restrooms and storage as well as new tennis courts.
Whitney Meissner, Chimacum High School principal, said that the district’s facilities need a variety of improvements, both visible and beneath the surface.
“We are forced to hold our athletic events in Port Townsend,” she said.
“We haven’t hosted a track meet since I got here 14 years ago.
“There is a lot of stuff that you can’t see,” she added.
“The electricity and water systems need replacement and we don’t have a good spot for staff meetings.”
The school recently finished gym renovations which were subsidized by a levy voters approved in 2012.
“We needed to complete the projects from the last levy before we asked for more money,” Meissner said.
Like the Port Townsend levy, the Chimacum bond taxes would begin to be collected in 2016.
Property owners living within the Port Townsend city limits will also vote on Feb. 10 on a bond measure to raise funds for Mountain View Commons renovations.
The city bond measure would cost an estimated 13 cents per $1,000 of property valuation for 15 years.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
